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Danish students experience American education

Emma Justesen, right, a student from Denmark, talks with Brevard High student Suzannah Palumbo during a graphic arts class at the high school Wednesday.

MIKE DIRKS/TIMES-NEWS

By Leigh KelleyTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 5:04 p.m.

BREVARD — Alexander Bjerre Simonsen could hardly contain his excitement as he worked on an assignment in a graphic communications class at Brevard High.

Moving the mouse, Simonsen clicked and selected colors to match those in a poster of President Barack Obama, and used Adobe Photoshop to change the tint here or sharpen the contrast there.

It's technological instruction that you won't find at the high school level in his native Denmark, he said.

"I would have to wait a couple of more years to take a course like this," said Simonsen, 17. "I go to ‘general school,' which is much like an American high school where you take subjects like Danish, English, history and math, but there is nothing like this; no specialized classes. The things I am learning in this class I would not get to take until I was at university in Denmark. This is incredible."

Simonsen is one of 27 students from Denmark finishing up a three-week visit to the Transylvania County town as part of a foreign exchange program. Last spring, a couple of teachers from a Danish high school in Hobro, Denmark, came to Brevard interested in starting an exchange-type program for their American studies class.

An agreement was made and the group of Danish high school students and two teachers arrived in Washington, D.C. March 5. They came to Brevard March 9 to learn more about American culture and the American school system.

A group of Danish students is also visiting Asheville High, said Inge Eriksen, one of the Danish teachers who visited the area last year. All of the students attend Mariagerfjord Gymnasium (high school) in Hobro.

"We have been doing exchanges with North Carolina for 15 years or so, but this is the first time we have come to Brevard," she said.

The students are staying with various host families in the community. Each Danish student also has a "BHS buddy" or student here to help them out if needed. For the past few days, the students have been able to choose what classes they would like to attend.

Eriksen said a primary difference between educational systems in the two countries is that in America, many school districts offer Career Technical Education courses within high schools. In Danish schools, students either take only core classes or go to schools focused entirely on one CTE area, such as culinary arts or carpentry.

Her fellow teacher, Sofia Ottegen, said the trip was very educational for her in that she has picked up some tips from the high school's Spanish teacher that she intends to use with her students. Ottegen teaches Spanish and physical education at Mariagerfjord Gymnasium.

"It is very nice that the teachers here have their own classrooms. We don't have that — the classrooms are mobile and the students and the teachers all move to another room for the next class," she said.

But there is one thing that seems to be universal, Ottegen noted.

"Teenagers are the same everywhere; your teens and our teens wear the same type of clothes, have the same taste in music and act the same, so there is not much difference, I think," she said.

Brevard High graphics arts teacher Katrina Kronneburger, who served as a host mother, has also learned from the experience.

"They (Danish students) have been fascinated that there was so much personal interaction we have here between the teachers and the students," she said. "That was a shocker. In Denmark, the teachers all talk down to them and there is definitely a sense that the teachers are up on one level and the students are on a much lower level. It's more personable here than they've ever seen."

Simonsen's classmate, Emma Justesen, said she has appreciated the warmth and kindness that the people in Brevard have shown all the Danish students.

"Everyone has been so welcoming and so kind," she said. "People have made up so much just for us to have some fun. I think the thing I like best is to experience a different school system. I've watched movies about American high school, but to really be in one has been a great experience."

Simonsen agreed, adding that he liked the small-town atmosphere of Brevard, noting the differences between small-town America and bigger metropolitan areas the students visited such as Washington, D.C.

"Everyone here wants to talk to you, to ask you questions — they are interested," he said. "Everybody wants to take care of you. I like that very much."

Sitting next to Justesen in a graphics communications class Wednesday, Brevard High student Suzannah Palumbo said the experience has been good for the host school as well.

"I think a lot of people here don't appreciate living here as much as they should, so this has opened a lot of peoples' eyes," Palumbo said. "It's been fun to learn about how different it is in Denmark than here. It's like a breath of fresh air."

Brevard High senior Shane Williams said the Danish students participated in "Iron Devils," a modified kind of football students played after school some days.

His friend, Kresten Anderson, said the similarities outweighed any differences between the Danish and American students.

"It makes it seem that we're not so different — they cut up and have fun and are a lot like us," he said. "It's awesome."

A trip to Denmark by Brevard High students next year is being discussed, said Eriksen and Kronneburger, although nothing is definite. Now that the Danish students have experienced the warm hospitality of Brevard residents, they are eager to return the favor, Eriksen said. The Danish students were scheduled to leave Brevard for Denmark today.

"We hope that Brevard students will come to us next year," she said. "That would be wonderful."

<p>BREVARD — Alexander Bjerre Simonsen could hardly contain his excitement as he worked on an assignment in a graphic communications class at Brevard High. </p><p>Moving the mouse, Simonsen clicked and selected colors to match those in a poster of President Barack Obama, and used Adobe Photoshop to change the tint here or sharpen the contrast there.</p><p>It's technological instruction that you won't find at the high school level in his native Denmark, he said.</p><p>"I would have to wait a couple of more years to take a course like this," said Simonsen, 17. "I go to 'general school,' which is much like an American high school where you take subjects like Danish, English, history and math, but there is nothing like this; no specialized classes. The things I am learning in this class I would not get to take until I was at university in Denmark. This is incredible."</p><p>Simonsen is one of 27 students from Denmark finishing up a three-week visit to the Transylvania County town as part of a foreign exchange program. Last spring, a couple of teachers from a Danish high school in Hobro, Denmark, came to Brevard interested in starting an exchange-type program for their American studies class.</p><p>An agreement was made and the group of Danish high school students and two teachers arrived in Washington, D.C. March 5. They came to Brevard March 9 to learn more about American culture and the American school system. </p><p>A group of Danish students is also visiting Asheville High, said Inge Eriksen, one of the Danish teachers who visited the area last year. All of the students attend Mariagerfjord Gymnasium (high school) in Hobro. </p><p>"We have been doing exchanges with North Carolina for 15 years or so, but this is the first time we have come to Brevard," she said. </p><p>The students are staying with various host families in the community. Each Danish student also has a "BHS buddy" or student here to help them out if needed. For the past few days, the students have been able to choose what classes they would like to attend. </p><p>Eriksen said a primary difference between educational systems in the two countries is that in America, many school districts offer Career Technical Education courses within high schools. In Danish schools, students either take only core classes or go to schools focused entirely on one CTE area, such as culinary arts or carpentry.</p><p>Her fellow teacher, Sofia Ottegen, said the trip was very educational for her in that she has picked up some tips from the high school's Spanish teacher that she intends to use with her students. Ottegen teaches Spanish and physical education at Mariagerfjord Gymnasium.</p><p>"It is very nice that the teachers here have their own classrooms. We don't have that — the classrooms are mobile and the students and the teachers all move to another room for the next class," she said. </p><p>But there is one thing that seems to be universal, Ottegen noted.</p><p>"Teenagers are the same everywhere; your teens and our teens wear the same type of clothes, have the same taste in music and act the same, so there is not much difference, I think," she said.</p><p>Brevard High graphics arts teacher Katrina Kronneburger, who served as a host mother, has also learned from the experience. </p><p>"They (Danish students) have been fascinated that there was so much personal interaction we have here between the teachers and the students," she said. "That was a shocker. In Denmark, the teachers all talk down to them and there is definitely a sense that the teachers are up on one level and the students are on a much lower level. It's more personable here than they've ever seen." </p><p>Simonsen's classmate, Emma Justesen, said she has appreciated the warmth and kindness that the people in Brevard have shown all the Danish students.</p><p>"Everyone has been so welcoming and so kind," she said. "People have made up so much just for us to have some fun. I think the thing I like best is to experience a different school system. I've watched movies about American high school, but to really be in one has been a great experience."</p><p>Simonsen agreed, adding that he liked the small-town atmosphere of Brevard, noting the differences between small-town America and bigger metropolitan areas the students visited such as Washington, D.C. </p><p>"Everyone here wants to talk to you, to ask you questions — they are interested," he said. "Everybody wants to take care of you. I like that very much."</p><p>Sitting next to Justesen in a graphics communications class Wednesday, Brevard High student Suzannah Palumbo said the experience has been good for the host school as well.</p><p>"I think a lot of people here don't appreciate living here as much as they should, so this has opened a lot of peoples' eyes," Palumbo said. "It's been fun to learn about how different it is in Denmark than here. It's like a breath of fresh air."</p><p>Brevard High senior Shane Williams said the Danish students participated in "Iron Devils," a modified kind of football students played after school some days.</p><p>"They're really athletic," Williams said. "They all really enjoyed that."</p><p>His friend, Kresten Anderson, said the similarities outweighed any differences between the Danish and American students.</p><p>"It makes it seem that we're not so different — they cut up and have fun and are a lot like us," he said. "It's awesome."</p><p>A trip to Denmark by Brevard High students next year is being discussed, said Eriksen and Kronneburger, although nothing is definite. Now that the Danish students have experienced the warm hospitality of Brevard residents, they are eager to return the favor, Eriksen said. The Danish students were scheduled to leave Brevard for Denmark today. </p><p>"We hope that Brevard students will come to us next year," she said. "That would be wonderful." </p><p>Reach Kelley at 828-694-7871 or leigh.kelley@blueridgenow.com.</p>